HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM

BREATHING VOLCANIC ASH

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM

BREATHING VOLCANIC ASH

This document has been prepared by the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network (IVHHN) to help people reduce their exposure to volcanic ash. This guide explains how communities can protect themselves from volcanic ash and explains the effectiveness of different forms of respiratory protection and how to fit a facemask.

The information in this booklet was written by Dr Claire Horwell (Durham University, UK) and has been reviewed by an expert panel: Dr Peter Baxter (University of Cambridge, UK); Dr Ciro Ugarte (Pan American Health Organization); Dr Mike Clayton (Health & Safety Executive, UK); Prof John Cherrie (Institute of Occupational Medicine/Heriot Watt University, UK); Dr Nick Gent (Public Health England). Thanks also to Dr Carol Stewart, Massey University, New Zealand and Prof Lena Dominelli (Durham University, UK) for editorial input. Thanks to the models used in the images in the booklet (Ines Tomašek and Harisma Andikagumi), Durham Cartography Unit for mask photographs, Tri Wahyudi and Boy Harjanto for other photos, and to Pierre Yves Tournigand for illustrations.

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CONTENTS1. Reduce your exposure to ash 2

2. When should I use respiratory protection? 5

3. Who can wear respiratory protection? 6

4. What types of respiratory protection are most effective? 7

5. How should I put on a facemask? 10

6. Make sure your choice of respiratory protection fits to your face! 13

7. For how long will a facemask last? 14

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Breathing volcanic ash can be a nuisance and cause discomfort, and may have more serious health effects for some people. You may wish to reduce your exposure to volcanic ash, or you may have been advised to do so.

The most effective way to reduce exposure, especially for people at particular risk (e.g., children and infants, older people and those with existing respiratory (lung) or cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) disease) is to shelter somewhere which is not ashy, ideally inside a building where you can stay indoors for some time, if necessary. If you are very concerned about your health, take advice from a health professional.

1. REDUCE YOUR EXPOSURE TO ASH

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✜ Take steps to keep ash out of your indoor environment:

✜ Close doors and windows, where possible.

✜ If possible, seal up large gaps and spaces to the outdoors. For example, you could use tape and plastic sheeting, or rolled-up towels.

✜ Try to set up a single entry/exit point for the building. Leave ashy clothes/shoes outside.

✜ Do not use any appliances (e.g., air conditioners) which suck in air from the outside.

✜ If the indoor environment is ashy, try to gently clean away the ash (e.g., using damp cloths).

✜ Don’t use vacuum cleaners as they can blow out fineash,backintotheindoorspace.

✜ If you are staying indoors for a long time:

✜ Make sure that the indoor environment does not get too hot. If it gets too hot, consider evacuating.

✜ Don’t use cooking and heating stoves, or other appliances, which produce smoke.

✜ Do not smoke cigarettes or other products.

✜ Donotuseun-fluedgasheaters,oruseoutdoor appliances such as gas patio heaters or barbecues, due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Outdoors, once the ash has settled, it is important to remove it through clean-up activities, using water to dampenitfirst.Youshouldwearafacemaskifyouarecleaning up settled ash.

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When there is ash, you may wish to use some sort of respiratory protection (e.g., a facemask), or you may be advised to do so by governmental or humanitarian agencies. Masks may be worn when:

• you are outdoors and there is ash in the air (either during ashfall or afterwards, when it may be remobilised by wind, vehicles and human activities);

• ash is being mobilised indoors or outdoors by activities such as removal/cleaning-up.

Masks can be worn during waking hours. It is not recommended to wear a facemask while sleeping as it will probably not stay fitted to your face, and it is harder to breathe with a facemask on.

2. WHEN SHOULD I USE RESPIRATORY PROTECTION?

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People with existing respiratory or cardiovascular disease should talk to a health professional about whether facemasks are suitable. Care should be taken to ensure that it is not harder to breathe when using any form of respiratory protection.

Masks are not usually designed to fit children’s faces (although some manufacturers are now producing small masks aimed at children but not infants). Exposure for children and infants should be reduced by staying in a non-ashy (indoor) environment wherever possible. If you do give a mask to a child, show the child how to fit it well, and be very careful it does not make breathing difficult.

Employers should ensure that people working in ashy conditions have effective facemasks, which have been properly fitted to each worker’s face, according to any local legislation.

3. WHO CAN WEAR RESPIRATORY PROTECTION?

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The following information will help you decide on which type of respiratory protection to use, but other factors, such as the cost and availability of the protective products, may also need to be taken into account.

When you wear respiratory protection, the effectiveness depends particularly on two factors:

• how effective the mask or material is at filtering particles (stopping the ash from passing through the material);

• the fit of the mask or material to the face (preventing particles from entering around the edges).

4. WHAT TYPES OF RESPIRATORY PROTECTION ARE MOST EFFECTIVE?

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✜ The most effective respiratory protection for adults is towearawell-fitting,industry-certifiedfacemask suchasaN95mask(alsocalledP2,FFP2orDS2in differentpartsoftheworld).Thecertificationwillbe printedonthemask.Suchmasksareusually disposable.

✜ Thesearehighlyefficientatfilteringashandare usuallydesignedtofitadultfaceswell,butmaybetoo big for children.

✜ Duetotheirtightfit,theymayfeeluncomfortable.

N95 Mask

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✜ Using highly effective masks can make breathing harder; if you have existing respiratory or cardiovascular disease, talk to a health professional about whether such masks are suitable for you.

✜ These masks come in many different shapes and sizes. Some fold out into a mask shape and some have a ready-made cup-shape. Some have a valve on the front to improve comfort by letting warm,humidairout.Iffittedwelltotheface,all ofthesemaskswillbehighlyeffectiveatfiltering ash.

✜ Somenon-certifiedfacemasksstatethattheyare designedtofilter‘PM2.5’(smallparticleslessthan2.5 micrometresindiameter),whichislikelytobethemost harmful fraction of the ash.

✜ Theseareprobablyhighlyefficientatfilteringash butareoftennotdesignedtofitwelltotheface and so may not be very effective.

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■ Increasingthenumberoflayersofclothimprovestheabilitytofilterashbutwillstillbelesseffectiveatfilteringashthanmostfacemasks.

■ Wetting materials does not improve the ability of masks or cloth to filtervolcanicash.

A standard, pleated surgical maskwillbegoodatfilteringashaslongasitfitswelltothe face. If it does not, it will provide less protection than an industry-certifiedfacemask.

SurgicalmaskSimple healthcare masks (rectangular, non-pleated) do notfilterashwellandalsodonot have ways to make a good seal to the face.

Simplehealthcaremask

Hard-cup (also called nuisance-dust), ‘fashion’ and scooter masks are less effective at filteringashcomparedtoindustry-certifiedandsurgicalmasks,andmaynotfitwelltothe face.

ScootermaskCloth materials (e.g., bandanas, t-shirts, veils, handkerchiefs) worn over the nose and mouth arelesseffectiveatfiltering ash than most masks, so will offer less protection and they alsotendnottofitwell.

Cloth material

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5. HOW SHOULD I PUT ON A FACEMASK?

With clean hands, take the mask out of the packaging. Avoid contaminating the inside of the mask with ash.

Step1Openupanyflapsandpreparethestraps/loops for tying around the head or ears.

Step2

Fit the mask over the nose and mouth. Fit the straps to the head, with the top strap above your ears, around the top of your head, and the lower strap below your ears

Step3Make sure the lower strap is below your ears, towards the bottom of your head. Tighten the straps/loops until the mask makes a seal around your face and is comfortable.

Step4

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With both hands, gently press the noseclipoverthenosesothatitfitswell across the nose and onto the face below the eyes. Do not pinch the clip.

Press the edges of the mask onto your face (around the cheeks and chin).

Step5Onceyouhavefittedthemask,coverthe mask with both hands, being carefulnottochangethefit.Ifyouareusing a mask without a valve, breathe out sharply. If you are using a mask with a valve, cover the valve with your hand before breathing out, or breathe in sharply, instead. You should not be able to feel any air escaping or entering around the edges of the mask. Readjustthefituntilthesealistight.

Step6

If the mask has non-adjustable straps, tie them snugly around your head.

If the mask has ear loops, you may need to use the loops to tighten the mask (you could tie a knot in the loops if the mask is loose on your face).

Ifyoucannotgetthemasktofit,trytofindadifferentmaskwhichfitsyourfacebetter.

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✜ Agoodfacemaskmayhaveaflexiblemetalnoseclip,adjustablestrapsandmayalsohavefoamaroundtheedges to help with the seal to your face.

✜ Whenyourfacemaskfitsproperly,thereshouldbeagood seal around your face so that you cannot feel any air coming in around the edges.

✜ Make sure that spectacle/goggle frames do not affect thesealbetweenthefacemaskandyourface.

✜ Ifyouhavefacialhair,thefacemaskwillnotbeaseffective,becauseitcannotmakeagoodsealtoyourface.

✜ Youcanimprovethefitandeffectivenessofafacemaskbytyingalayerofclothoverit,althoughyouarelikelytofindthislesscomfortableandyoushouldnottietheclothsotightthatitmakesbreathingharder.

6. MAKE SURE YOUR CHOICE OF RESPIRATORY PROTECTION FITS TO YOUR FACE!

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✜ Someindustry-certifiedfacemaskshavea‘use-by’dateprintedonthem.Afterthisdate,themanufacturercannot guarantee the integrity of the mask materials.

✜ Ifsuppliesarelimited,disposablemaskscanbestoredforre-useinacleanbagorboxtoensurethatdustfromthe outside does not contaminate them. They should not behunginadustyenvironment.

✜ Somemanufacturersnowmakenon-disposablemasksforcommunityuse.Often,thesecanbewashed,forhygienereasons,butwashingwillnotremoveparticlesfromthefilteringlayer,sotheymustalsobediscardedwhentheybecomecloggedand/orbreathingbecomesharder,orifyounoticethemaskstartingtobreak.

7. FOR HOW LONG WILL A FACEMASK LAST?

✜ Disposablemasksaredesignedforsingleuse(sopackagingwilloftenstatethattheyshouldbedisposedofafter8hours)buttheycanbewornuntilyounoticethattheyarecloggedand/orbreathingbecomesharder,orifyounoticethemaskstartingtobreak.However,youmaychoosetoreplacethem sooner for hygiene reasons and should check frequently for any degradation or growth of mould.

For further information on the health hazards of volcanic ash and preparedness for ashfall, please download

the IVHHN pamphlets available at:http://www.ivhhn.org/pamphlets.html

The information given in this booklet is based upon guidelines from the World Health Organization, IVHHN, industrial regulators and mask manufacturers, and research conducted for the Health Interventions in Volcanic Eruptions Consortium (http://community.dur.ac.uk/hive.consortium/). The academic

articles published on that research are free to downloaded:

Mueller, W., Horwell, C.J., Apsley, A., Steinle, S., McPherson, S., Cherrie, J.W., Galea, K.S., 2018. The effectiveness of

respiratory protection worn by communities to protect from volcanic ash inhalation; Part I: Filtration efficiency tests.

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463917308003

Steinle, S., Sleeuwenhoek, A., Mueller, W., Horwell, C.J., Apsley, A., Davies, A., Cherrie, J.W., Galea, K.S., 2018.

The effectiveness of respiratory protection worn by communities to protect from volcanic ash inhalation;

Part II: Total inward leakage tests. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463917308027